REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE

PHYSICS AND PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Professor and Head of the Department
J. Whitehead

Programs leading to the degree of Master of Science in Physics and in
Physical Oceanography are offered to both full and part-time students.
Because Oceanography is multidisciplinary in nature, undergraduate students
who plan to undertake Physical Oceanography studies are urged to consult
the faculty member in charge of Physical Oceanography programs at their earliest
opportunity, in order to ensure the appropriateness of their undergraduate
course selections. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physics is offered
through both full-time and part-time study in Atomic and Molecular Physics,
Condensed Matter Physics, and Physical Oceanography. The following Departmental
Regulations are supplementary to the General Regulations governing the M.Sc.
and Ph.D. degrees. A thorough familiarity with the latter Regulations should
be regarded as the prerequisite to further reading in this section.

The Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography compiles, and regularly
reviews, a brochure which contains reasonably detailed descriptions of currently
active research projects, as well as a comprehensive listing of recent
research publications, and other material which may be of interest to prospective
graduate students.

MASTER OF SCIENCE

1. Admission to a M.Sc. program in the Department of Physics and Physical
Oceanography is normally restricted to candidates holding an Honours B.Sc.
degree in Physics. However, depending on background and area of specialization
and with particular reference to Physical Oceanography, other Baccalaureate
degrees in science, applied science or mathematics, may be accepted.

2. A program of study for the M.Sc. degree in Physics or Physical Oceanography
shall normally include a minimum of 12 graduate credit hours. However, depending
on the student’s background and area of specialization, more or fewer graduate
and/or undergraduate courses may be required.

3. Except with the special permission of the Department and the approval
of the Dean of Graduate Studies, a candidate may not take any courses in
addition to those approved for his/her M.Sc. program.

4. Before submission of the thesis to the School of Graduate Studies
for examination, the student must present a seminar on the topic of his/her
thesis research.

COURSES

In accordance with Senate’s Policy Regarding Inactive Courses,
courses which have not been offered in the previous three academic years
and which are not scheduled to be offered in the current academic year
have been removed from the following listing. For information about any
of these inactive courses, please contact the Head of the Department.

A selection of the following graduate courses will be offered to meet
the requirements of candidates, as far as the resources of the Department
will allow:

CREDIT MAY BE OBTAINED FOR ONLY ONE COURSE FROM EACH OF
THE PAIRS OF COURSES LISTED IN THIS TABLE

Present Course

Former Course

Present Course

Former Course

6000

6050

6318

6304

6001

6051

6321

6303

6002

6822

6321

6304

6003

6820

6323

6303

6200

6821

6402

6401

6308

6312

6403

6401

6309

6311

6403

6824

6313

6301

6502

6500

6316

6302

6502

6501

6317

6823

6722

6790

Members of the department carry out research in several areas of experimental
and theoretical physics, including atomic and molecular physics, condensed
matter physics, physical oceanography, theoretical geophysics and applied
nuclear physics. In atomic and molecular physics, there are experimental
programs in collision-induced infrared absorption spectroscopy, electron
emission spectroscopy of simple molecules, molecular ions and free radicals,
laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, and theoretical
work on atomic and molecular collisions. The work in condensed matter physics
includes experimental programs in solid state nuclear magnetic resonance on
systems of biophysical interest, Raman spectroscopy of lipid bilayers and
membranes, studies of phase transitions using Brillouin and Raman spectroscopy,
studies of instabilities and pattern formation in simple fluid dynamical systems,
and spectroscopic studies of molecular crystals. Theoretical condensed matter
physics research involves studies of magnetism, superconductivity, and the
statistical mechanics of polymers and lipid bilayers. The physical oceanography
group carries out field and laboratory research on several projects which
take advantage of Newfoundland's unique oceanographic environment, using
acoustic and other remote sensing techniques. These include studies of circulation
on the Newfoundland and Labrador shelves, Labrador current dynamics, fjord
dynamics, submarine canyons and sediment transport dynamics in the nearshore
zone and on the shelf. Theoretical oceanographic studies involve the modelling
of ocean circulation, gravity wave phenomena and other aspects of ocean dynamics.
Research in theoretical geophysics is concentrated on whole-Earth dynamics,
with special emphasis on the physics of the liquid core (the Earth's "third
ocean") as inferred from its wave spectrum and the associated momentum transfer
to the deformable solid parts of the Earth. In nuclear physics, research
is done on the atmospheric concentrations of radioactive elements and on
dosimetry for medical applications.